Those inside the room couldn’t believe their ears.
Chaewon was expecting Zeno to laugh, indicating he was joking, but he wasn’t. He still looked dead serious.
Minseok looked at him with wide eyes. Meanwhile, Selina shook her head. Jisoo, too, appeared confused. He was more brazen than they had thought!
In the end, Chaewon PD was the one who laughed out loud, even slapping her palm on the table.
“You… want to be paid now?” she clarified.
Zeno innocently nodded. The pay was 6,000,000 KRW, and he needed more than half of it to buy Maxie’s medication today. He was sure the demon was going to die if he waited until the day of their filming.
Chaewon PD was flabbergasted at this point. Again, she had never met such an actor.
She shook her head. “You know that actors are paid in installments, right?” she started off. “The bulk of their payment is given before the movie is released. We are giving you a one-time payment on the day of the filming, but you still want it now?”
Zeno nodded once more. “Because I need it now.”
Minseok clicked his tongue. “That is not the proper etiquette for an actor,” he side-commented.
However, Zeno ignored him.
“It’s a one-time payment,” Zeno deadpanned, crossing his arms in front of his chest. “What difference will it make if you give it to me now rather than later?”
Chaewon PD’s face went red, so Jiho quickly answered before she exploded out of anger.
“We cannot guarantee you would come during the filming day if we pay you now,” he said.
“Then, sue me,” Zeno confidently said, making Joohyuk’s eyebrows raise in surprise. This kind of confidence coming from a rookie actor was rare—no, it was insanity.
“I can only accept the job if it pays now,” Zeno continued, still challenging Chaewon PD’s gaze.
Chaewon PD has never been spoken to this way—not even by her higher-ups when she was nothing in the industry. It shocked her, of course, but at the same time, she found it pleasant.
An actor who knew what he wanted.
Finally, she broke their intense gaze.
“Jiho, prepare another contract,” she said. “We can give it to him now.”
Minseok’s eyes widened. Chaewon PD actually agreed to this?
“Frankly, I do not want to go through the hassle of finding another actor,” she said, folding her arms.
Minseok felt even more furious. He was right there!
Jiho quickly printed another contract and handed it to Zeno. With that, he signed it, too, before handing it back to the team.
Chaewon PD couldn’t take her eyes away from him as he did so.
She still didn’t know what she felt about this actor. Somehow, she could never really read what was going on inside of his mind. She didn’t like that one bit. However, she couldn’t deny that he felt quite talented and reliable.
“It’s all set, PD,” Jiho said as he gathered all of their contracts. With that, Chaewon PD stood.
“You may now take your leave,” she said, her gaze lingering longer on Zeno. “We will see you on the day of the filming.”
They all stood and bowed, watching as Chaewon PD left the room. However, Joohyuk, the casting director, stayed back, confusing the actors.
Minseok, on the other hand, was confident he was going to be scouted by him. He might not have gotten the role of Dr. Song, but he was going to win even bigger today!
He glanced at Zeno, who was already preparing to go out.
“Wait,” Joohyuk said, causing the actors to turn to him. Minseok was the closest to him, ready to accept whatever offer the casting director made.
However, Joohyuk didn’t even spare him a glance. Instead, he called out the person Minseok was annoyed at the most.
“Zeno Han. Can I please have a word with you?” he asked.
Zeno stopped in his tracks. “I have urgent matters to attend to,” he said.
Joohyuk looked at him with amazement. Truly, his personality was one of a kind. Other actors practically begged for Joohyuk to look their way!
A prime example was Minseok, who was right beside him.
Joohyuk couldn’t help but chuckle. However, deep inside, he felt he was being challenged.
“This is a very important conversation,” Joohyuk said. “I’m sure you don’t want to miss out on it.
Zeno glanced at his watch and sighed. He could have just told him straight away if it was important! Right now, the most important thing to do was go back to the vet and give them the money for Maxie’s treatment.
“I have left my contact details,” Zeno said, about to leave. “You can reach out to me there.”
However, Joohyuk stubbornly stood in front of the door. They had been looking for Zeno Han ever since the last episode of ‘Broken Chains of Justice’ aired! No matter who they asked, they couldn’t find his contact details. So, when Joohyuk heard that he was cast as one of the extras for ‘Code Black,’ he knew he couldn’t pass up on the opportunity—especially since rival companies were also trying to recruit him.
It seemed it was more difficult than he had intended, though.
So, Joohyuk decided to say it right then and there.
“We want to offer you the opportunity to become one of our artists in Moonrise Media. We believe you will be a great addition to our shining artists,” he said in his sales talk voice.
However, he was greeted with silence.
“Umm, sir,” Jisoo said, snapping him out of his thoughts.
“He’s gone.”
Joohyuk’s eyes widened, and he looked around the room, only to see that Jisoo was right. Zeno didn’t listen to a word he had said! Joohyuk’s cheeks became red in embarrassment, and he quickly grabbed his bag before walking out of the room.
“They want him in Moonrise Media, huh?” Jisoo muttered, turning to Minseok.
However, the boy next to her was having none of it.
He clenched his fists and glared at the door, feeling like he had lost way too much to him.
“Zeno Han,” he whispered. “You do not deserve any of this.”